prostitution

Over the past five years, Jacksonville police have made about 1,000 arrests for buying, selling, or soliciting sex. Eight of every 10 arrests involved female offenders — many for second or third offenses.

Jacksonville police officers said the threat of arrest for prostitution is a deterrent, but other cities are focusing less on jail time.

Last week, lawmakers reviewed Florida's progress toward helping child victims of sex trafficking, as a 2014 law starts to yield more information about victims.

The House Children, Families and Seniors Subcommittee heard presentations from state officials about the law, which made a wide range of changes to try to curb sex trafficking. That included creating a new screening system, which was rolled out in April, to better identify and serve sexually exploited children.